Esteban Ocon drove to a solid points finish in the 2024 Belgian Grand Prix, proving both his skill and the potential of his Alpine car. The French driver crossed the line in 10th place, capping off a race filled with on-track battles.
The Belgian Grand Prix, held at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit, saw George Russell claim victory for Mercedes, followed closely by teammate Lewis Hamilton and McLaren’s Oscar Piastri. While the front-runners battled for the win, Ocon found himself in the thick of the midfield action.
Starting outside the top 10, Ocon made steady progress throughout the race. His climb through the field was aided by a combination of smart driving and tyre management, allowing him to capitalise on opportunities as they arose.
One of the key moments for Ocon came in the latter stages of the race when he found himself in a DRS battle with Daniel Ricciardo and Lance Stroll for 10th position. The Frenchman’s fresher tyres proved crucial as used them to pass and pull away from the Australian in the closing laps.
In the end it became P9, with race winner George Russell disqualified for having an underweight car.
Reflecting on his performance, Ocon attributed some of his success to his lucky charm, saying, “Well, every time I wear the Deadpool helmet in the race, I get a decent result.”
While not matching his impressive 4th place finish in Las Vegas last year, Ocon remained positive about the outcome.
The Alpine driver praised his car’s performance as he made some lovely moves, noting, “The car performance has been very decent. This race, we were able to fight cars and to progress throughout the race.”
However, he expressed some disappointment with the team’s strategy, particularly regarding the final pit stop. The 27-year-old pitted twice, Alonso did a one-stop.
“Unfortunately, it wasn’t the maximum result. Before the last stop, we were about four to six seconds in front of Fernando [Alonso]. And unfortunately, he finished three and a half or four seconds in front of us. That last stop cost us a lot, unfortunately.”
Ocon acknowledged that the team had to react to changing circumstances but ultimately stuck to their usual plan, which may not have been the optimal choice for this particular race.
Looking at the broader context of the season, Ocon remains cautiously optimistic. He pointed out Alpine’s historical success at Spa but tempered expectations for upcoming races.
“I expect that it’s going to be a little bit more difficult on the following ones. I hope I’m lying. But to me, this is what it is.”
Assessing his performance in the first half of the season, Ocon expressed satisfaction with his efforts, particularly in qualifying. He acknowledged some challenges, including “weird degradation” issues, but maintains a positive outlook.
“I think on my own performance, I’m pretty happy at the moment. I know what I have to focus on. We need to keep going and hopefully have more pace for the second half.”
